JP5176889B2 - Image display device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image display device that displays an image.

  A printer that records (prints) an image on a recording medium such as printing paper is generally provided with a display (display unit) capable of displaying various information about the image and an operation panel operated by a user. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). In addition, such a printer can usually display an image of input image data on a display, and the user can operate various types of buttons provided on the operation panel. In addition, it is possible to cause the display to perform image change processing such as display image switching and image enlargement / reduction.

JP 2006-35662 A

  However, for users who are not good at operating devices such as elderly people, understand the functions of multiple small buttons on the operation panel, and operate these multiple buttons to display images on the display. It is very difficult to execute image change processing such as switching of images and image enlargement / reduction.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image display device capable of easily changing an image displayed on a display unit even for a user who is not good at operating an apparatus.

An image display device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a plate-like base material, a display unit that is provided on the base material and displays an image, and is disposed on the surface of the base material to detect expansion / contraction deformation of the base material. Expansion / contraction detection means, and display control means for changing an image to be displayed on the display unit based on the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material detected by the expansion / contraction detection means ,
The base material is a plate member having a rectangular planar shape, and when the deformation detection in the long side direction of the base material is detected by the expansion / contraction detection means, the display control means is currently displayed on the display unit. When the contraction deformation in the long side direction of the base material is detected by the expansion / contraction detection means, the display control means reduces the image currently displayed on the display unit,
The posture detection unit that detects the posture of the base material, and the posture detection unit is configured to expand and contract when the base material is stretched and contracted by trial expansion and contraction at the start of use. The posture of the base material is detected based on a detection result by the detection means .

  When the plate-like base material is stretched or compressed by the user, when the base material undergoes expansion / contraction deformation, the expansion / contraction deformation is detected by the expansion / contraction detection means. Change the image displayed on the display. According to this, the image displayed on the display unit can be changed by a simple operation of pulling or compressing the plate-like base material. That is, it is not necessary to operate the operation buttons and the like provided on the apparatus main body in a complicated manner, and even the user who is not good at operating the device can easily change the image displayed on the display unit.

  According to this configuration, the image on the display unit can be enlarged or reduced by expanding or contracting the plate-like base material.

  According to this configuration, when the image is to be enlarged, the substrate is pulled, and when the image is to be reduced, the substrate may be compressed. Even users who are not good at operating devices can easily learn how to use them.

  When the user performs a pulling or compressing operation on the rectangular base material, the pulling or compressing direction is preferably a direction parallel to one side of the base material in terms of operability. Therefore, in the present invention, the operability when enlarging or reducing the image is improved by assigning the enlargement or reduction of the image to the expansion and contraction deformation in the direction parallel to one side of the base material.

It is easier to operate by pulling or compressing in the long side direction of the base material than in the short side direction of the base material. Therefore, in the present invention, operability is further improved by assigning enlargement / reduction to expansion / contraction deformation in the long side direction of the base material.
Further, since the posture of the base material can be recognized on the image display device side, it is possible to determine whether the current posture of the base material is a normal use posture. Furthermore, when the user starts to use a predetermined expansion / contraction operation (for example, pulling a specific part) by a trial, the posture detection unit is configured to be based on the detection result of the expansion / contraction deformation. Can be recognized in what posture is held by the user. In this case, special sensors for detecting the posture of the substrate are not necessary.

In the image display device according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect , the expansion / contraction detection means is configured to distinguish and detect expansion / contraction deformation in a plurality of regions of the base material, and the expansion / contraction detection means When expansion / contraction deformation is detected in a predetermined region of the base material, the display control unit enlarges or reduces the image displayed on the display unit around a portion corresponding to the predetermined region. It is what.

  According to this configuration, by expanding and contracting a specific area of the base material, the image can be enlarged or reduced around the image portion corresponding to the specific area.

In the image display device of the third invention, in the first or second invention, when the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material is detected by the expansion / contraction detection means, the display control means This is characterized in that the orientation of the displayed image is changed.

  According to this configuration, the orientation of the image can be changed by expanding and contracting the base material. Note that the change in the orientation of the image in the present invention includes not only switching the vertical direction of the image but also rotating the image.

The image display device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the image display device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein when the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material is detected by the expansion / contraction detection unit, the display control unit includes the display unit. The image to be displayed is switched from the currently displayed image to another image.

  According to this configuration, display images can be switched by expanding and contracting the base material.

An image display device according to a fifth invention is the image display device according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, wherein the expansion / contraction detecting means includes a piezoelectric layer provided on a surface of the base material, and one surface of the piezoelectric layer. And a piezoelectric sensor having two types of electrodes arranged at intervals.

  When the base material is expanded or contracted, if the piezoelectric layer provided on the surface of the base material is also stretched and deformed in a portion sandwiched between two types of electrodes arranged on one surface thereof, this deformation Accordingly, a potential difference is generated between the two types of electrodes (piezoelectric effect). Therefore, it is possible to detect expansion / contraction deformation of the base material from the potential difference between the electrodes.

The image display device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the image display device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the expansion / contraction detection means is made of a conductive material disposed on the surface of the base material. It is a strain gauge having an electrical resistor whose electrical resistance changes accordingly.

  When the electric resistor provided on the surface of the base material expands and contracts together with the base material when the base material is expanded and contracted, the electric resistance of the electric resistor changes. Therefore, it is possible to detect the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material from the change in the electric resistance of the electric resistor.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the thickness of the portion of the base material on which the expansion / contraction detection means is provided is locally smaller than the surrounding area. It is characterized by becoming.

  Thus, if the thickness of the substrate in the region where the expansion / contraction detection means is locally reduced, the amount of expansion / contraction deformation when the substrate is pulled or compressed increases. Deformation is easily detected by the expansion / contraction detection means.

The image display apparatus of the eighth invention, in any one invention of the first to seventh, wherein the display unit is arranged on a portion of the surface of the substrate,
The expansion / contraction detection means is arranged in a region of the surface of the base material where the display unit is not provided.

  It is considered that the portion of the base material provided with the display portion is less likely to deform by the amount provided with the display portion, and the amount of expansion / contraction deformation when the base material is pulled or compressed is also reduced. In the present invention, since the expansion / contraction detection means is disposed in the area where the display unit is not provided, the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material is easily detected by the expansion / contraction detection means.

An image display device according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is a display unit that displays an image, a display control unit that controls the display unit, a plate-like base material, and an expansion / contraction of the base material that is disposed on the surface of the base material. An expansion / contraction detection means for detecting deformation; and an input means for inputting information relating to the expansion / contraction deformation detected by the expansion / contraction detection means to the display control means,
The display control means controls the display unit so as to change an image to be displayed based on information on the expansion / contraction deformation input by the input means ,
The base material is a plate member having a rectangular planar shape, and when the deformation detection in the long side direction of the base material is detected by the expansion / contraction detection means, the display control means is currently displayed on the display unit. When the contraction deformation in the long side direction of the base material is detected by the expansion / contraction detection means, the display control means reduces the image currently displayed on the display unit,
The posture detection unit that detects the posture of the base material, and the posture detection unit is configured to expand and contract when the base material is stretched and contracted by trial expansion and contraction at the start of use. The posture of the base material is detected based on a detection result by the detection means .

  When the user pulls or compresses the plate-like base material included in the input means and the base material undergoes expansion / contraction deformation, the expansion / contraction deformation is detected by the expansion / contraction detection means. Input to the display control means. And a display control means changes the image displayed on a display part based on the information input by the expansion-contraction detection means. According to this, the image displayed on the display unit can be changed by a simple operation of pulling or compressing the plate-like base material. That is, it is not necessary to operate the operation buttons and the like provided on the apparatus main body in a complicated manner, and even the user who is not good at operating the device can easily change the image displayed on the display unit. In the present invention, the display unit for displaying an image is not limited to being provided integrally with the base material of the input means operated by the user, and includes a display unit used in a state separated from the base material. It is.

  According to the present invention, when the plate-like base material is stretched or compressed by the user and the base material undergoes expansion / contraction deformation, the expansion / contraction deformation is detected by the expansion / contraction detection means. Then, the display control means changes the image displayed on the display unit based on the detection result of the expansion / contraction detection means. According to this, the image displayed on the display unit can be changed by a simple operation of pulling or compressing the plate-like base material. That is, it is not necessary to operate the operation buttons and the like provided on the apparatus main body in a complicated manner, and even the user who is not good at operating the device can easily change the image displayed on the display unit.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the printer of this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of the printer.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer 1 of this embodiment includes a recording head 2 that records an image on a printing paper P, and a transport mechanism 3 that transports the printing paper P in a predetermined direction (front of FIG. 1). The image display device 14 displays an image to be recorded on the printing paper P, and the control device 4 controls each part of the printer 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped printer body 6 in which a recording head 2, a transport mechanism 3, a control device 4, and the like are accommodated. As the recording head 2, one that performs printing on the printing paper P by a known method such as an ink jet method, a laser method, or a thermal transfer method can be adopted, but in this embodiment, an ink jet head is assumed. The recording head 2 is input from the data recording medium 7 based on a command from the control device 4 in a state where the data recording medium 7 (see FIG. 2) on which image data is recorded is connected to the printer 1. The image of the image data (image file) is recorded on the printing paper P. In the following description, one image data (image file) means a collection of data constituting one image.

  A part of the lower half of the printer main body 6 is opened to the front, and a paper feed tray 9 in which the printing paper P is accommodated and a printing paper P on which an image is recorded are discharged to this open part. A paper discharge tray 8 is provided. Then, the transport mechanism 3 transports the printing paper P in the paper feed tray 9 to the recording head 2 in the printer body 6 by a transport roller that is rotationally driven by a motor, and an image is recorded by the recording head 2. The printing paper P is discharged to the front paper discharge tray 8.

  A cartridge mounting portion 10 is provided in front of the lower half of the printer main body 6 at a side position of the paper feed tray 9 and the paper discharge tray 8. The cartridge mounting portion 10 has four colors (yellow). , Magenta, cyan, and black) are detachably mounted.

  The upper portion of the printer main body 6 is inclined forward toward the user located on the front side of the sheet of FIG. 1, and a plurality of operation buttons 12 operated by the user are provided on the inclined surface 6a. .

  Further, the printer 1 includes an image display device 14 that is connected to the control device 4 in the printer main body 6 via a cable 15 and that can display an image to be printed.

  3A is a plan view of the image display device 14, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 3A. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the image display device 14 controls the display by a plate-like base material 20, a display 13 that is provided integrally with the base material 20 and can display an image. The control part 22 (refer FIG. 2) which performs, and the four expansion-contraction detection parts 21a-21d which detect the expansion-contraction deformation of the base material 20 are included.

  When the user wants to change the image displayed on the display 13, the user pulls or compresses the base material 20 of the image display device 14 along the surface direction. At this time, expansion / contraction deformation occurs in the base material 20, and the expansion / contraction deformation is detected by the four expansion / contraction detection units 21 (first to fourth expansion / contraction detection units 21 a to 21 d) provided in the base material 20. And based on the expansion-contraction deformation | transformation aspect of the base material 20 detected by the four expansion-contraction detection parts 21, the control part 22 changes the image displayed on the display 13. FIG. Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the image display device 14 having the above-described operation will be described in detail. In the following description, the horizontal direction in FIGS. 3A and 3B is defined as the horizontal direction.

  The base material 20 is a plate member having a rectangular planar shape. Moreover, the base material 20 is formed of a resin material such as polyimide or a metal material such as an aluminum alloy, and is a member having a relatively high rigidity that is not easily bent by human power. In addition, two groove portions 20a extending in the short direction of the base material 20 are formed on the back surfaces (surfaces on the opposite side of the paper surface of FIG. 3A) of both end portions in the longitudinal direction (left and right end portions) of the base material 20. Each is formed. In other words, the portion where the two groove portions 20a are formed is a thin portion 20b whose thickness is locally smaller than the surroundings.

  The display 13 is disposed at the center of the surface of the base material 20 (the surface on the front side in FIG. 3A). In other words, the display 13 is arranged in a region between the two left and right groove portions 20a (thin wall portions 20b) formed on the back surface of the base material 20.

  In the two left and right groove portions 20a formed on the back surface (the surface opposite to the display 13) of the base material 20, two expansion detection portions 21 (21a to 21d) in total, two in each groove portion 20a, are arranged. Yes. The two expansion / contraction detection parts 21 of each groove part 20a are each arrange | positioned at the transversal direction both ends of the base material 20 of the groove part 20a. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3A, the four expansion / contraction detection units 21 are arranged in the vicinity of the four corners of the rectangular base material 20.

  The four expansion / contraction detection units 21 are not particularly limited as long as they can detect expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20, but in this embodiment, as the expansion / contraction detection unit 21, a mechanical-electrical conversion action ( A piezoelectric sensor that converts a distortion of an object into a voltage signal using a piezoelectric effect) is employed.

  Since the four expansion / contraction detection units 21a to 21d have the same configuration, one of them will be described below. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a specific configuration of the expansion / contraction detection unit 21, wherein FIG. 4A is a diagram of the expansion / contraction detection unit 21 viewed from the back side of the base material 20, and FIG. FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the expansion / contraction detection unit 21 includes a piezoelectric layer 23 provided on the back surface of the substrate 20 and two types of electrodes 24 and 25 provided on the surface of the piezoelectric layer 23 opposite to the substrate 20. And have.

  The piezoelectric layer 23 is made of, for example, a piezoelectric material mainly composed of lead zirconate titanate (PZT), which is a solid solution of lead titanate and lead zirconate, and is a ferroelectric material. It can be formed on the back surface of the substrate 20 by a method, a sol-gel method or the like.

  On the surface of the piezoelectric layer 23 (the surface opposite to the base material 20), there are a plurality of comb-shaped first electrodes 24 that extend in parallel with the short direction of the base material 20 and are electrically connected to each other. A plurality of second electrodes 25 having a comb shape and extending in parallel with the first electrode 24 and conducting with each other are also provided. Further, the plurality of first electrodes 24 and the plurality of second electrodes 25 are alternately arranged with a space therebetween. The first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are formed of a conductive material such as gold, copper, silver, palladium, platinum, or titanium using a screen printing method, a vapor deposition method, or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the wiring 26 is drawn out from the plurality of first electrodes 24 that are electrically connected to each other, and the wiring 26 of the first electrode 24 is connected to the control unit 22 (see FIG. 2). Yes. Also, the wiring 27 is drawn out from the plurality of second electrodes 25 that are electrically connected to each other. The wiring 27 of the second electrode 25 is connected to the ground wiring, and all the second electrodes 25 are always connected via the wiring 27. It is held at ground potential. The piezoelectric layer 23 is previously polarized in parallel to the surface direction of the piezoelectric layer 23 and along the direction from the first electrode 24 to the second electrode 25.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, an insulating layer is provided on the surface of the piezoelectric layer 23 (the surface opposite to the base material 20) so as to cover all of the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 of the expansion / contraction detector 21. 28 is formed. The insulating layer 28 can be formed of an insulating synthetic resin material such as polyimide. As described above, the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are covered with the insulating layer 28, so that the electrodes 24 and 25 are peeled off or damaged, or the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are short-circuited. Is prevented.

  Next, an operation when the expansion / contraction detection unit 21 detects expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20 will be described. The direction in which the piezoelectric layer 23 of the expansion / contraction detection unit 21 is orthogonal to the extending direction of the electrode when the expansion / contraction deformation occurs in the base material 20 in the region where the expansion / contraction detection unit 21 is provided (longitudinal direction of the base material 20). When the piezoelectric layer 23 expands and contracts, a potential difference is generated between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 facing each other according to the expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric layer 23 (piezoelectric effect).

  More specifically, the portion of the piezoelectric layer 23 between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 is stretched (tensile) in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the electrode (a direction parallel to the polarization direction). When this occurs, a negative potential lower than the potential of the second electrode 25 (ground potential) is generated at the first electrode 24. On the other hand, when the piezoelectric layer 23 between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 undergoes contraction (compression) deformation in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the electrode, A positive potential higher than the potential of the electrode 25 (ground potential) is generated. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish and detect expansion deformation and contraction deformation of the base material 20 from the potential difference generated between the two types of electrodes 24 and 25.

  Furthermore, since the four expansion / contraction detection units 21a to 21d are respectively provided at the four corners of the base material 20, a plurality of expansion / contraction deformation modes of the base material 20 with different deformation locations and deformation directions are distinguished and detected. It becomes possible. For example, in FIG. 3A, when the upper part of the base material 20 is pulled left and right, the upper two expansion / contraction detection units 21a and 21c have a negative potential on the first electrode 24, but the two lower expansion / contractions. In the detectors 21b and 21d, the potential of the first electrode 24 hardly changes. Conversely, when the lower portion of the base material 20 is pulled left and right, the potential of the first electrode 24 becomes negative in the lower two expansion / contraction detection units 21b and 21d, but in the upper two expansion / contraction detection units 21a and 21c. The potential of the first electrode 24 hardly changes. Thus, when a plurality of expansion / contraction deformation modes of the base material 20 can be distinguished and detected, a plurality of image change processes executed on the display 13 can be assigned to each of the plurality of expansion / contraction deformation modes. it can. The allocation of the image change process will be described later in detail.

  In addition, each expansion-contraction detection part 21 does not have the some 1st electrode 24 and the some 2nd electrode 25 which are arrange | positioned alternately, The 1st electrode 24 and the 2nd electrode 25 which are mutually parallel are 1 each. If it is possible to accurately detect the potential change of the first electrode 24 when the piezoelectric layer 23 between the pair of the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 is deformed on the control unit 22 side. It is possible to detect expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20. However, if the potential change of the first electrode 24 is small, it is difficult to correctly detect the potential change, and there is a risk of erroneous detection. In order to prevent erroneous detection, the interval between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 is reduced, and the potential change of the first electrode 24 when the piezoelectric layer 23 expands and contracts is increased as much as possible. Although it is necessary to increase the detection sensitivity, in such a case, the range in which the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20 can be detected by one expansion / contraction detection unit 21 is extremely small.

  However, in this embodiment, in each expansion / contraction detection unit 21, a plurality of first electrodes 24 and a plurality of second electrodes 25 extending in the same direction are alternately arranged on the same surface of the piezoelectric layer 23. As a result, there are a plurality of electrode pairs each including the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25. Therefore, while the distance between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 is shortened to increase the detection sensitivity, the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20 that occurs in an area having a certain extent is detected by one expansion / contraction detection unit 21. be able to.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, each expansion-contraction detection part 21 is provided in the groove part 20a, ie, the thin part 20b whose thickness became locally small compared with the circumference | surroundings. Even if the same force is applied, the deformation amount of the base material 20 is larger than that of the surrounding portion in the thin wall portion 20b, so that the base material 20 is stretched or deformed when it is pulled or compressed. It becomes easy to detect with the expansion-contraction detection part 21. FIG.

  In addition, the central region of the base material 20 where the display 13 is provided is less likely to be deformed by the amount provided with the display 13, and the amount of expansion / contraction deformation when the base material 20 is pulled or compressed is reduced. Conceivable. However, in the present embodiment, since the expansion / contraction detection unit 21 is disposed in an area of the back surface of the base material 20 where the display 13 is not provided, the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20 is easily detected by the expansion / contraction detection unit 21. Become.

  Next, the control system of the printer 1 will be described in detail with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The control device 4 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that is a central processing unit, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs and data for controlling various mechanisms of the printer 1, and data processed by the CPU. RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores data, an input / output interface for inputting / outputting signals to / from an external device, and the like.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the control device 4 includes a recording control unit 30 and an image data storage unit 31 in which image data input from the data recording medium 7 is stored. In the data recording medium 7, a plurality of pieces of image data that have been ordered in advance based on certain predetermined conditions such as data file names (for example, alphabetical order) and image data creation date and time are classified and recorded by image folders. ing. Then, in a state where the data recording medium 7 is connected to the printer 1, a plurality of image data read from the data recording medium 7 is stored in the image data storage unit 31.

  As the data recording medium 7 on which the image data is recorded, a USB memory or a memory card, a storage device connected by being inserted into a slot of a printer, a wired device such as a cable, or a wireless control device 4 corresponds to an external storage device connected to 4. The data recorded on the data recording medium 7 may be not only still image data shot with a digital camera but also moving picture data shot with a digital video camera. Here, the moving image data is an aggregate of a plurality of still image data that are temporally continuous. When the moving image data is input from the data recording medium 7, the control device 4 extracts a plurality of still image data from the input moving image data, and a part of the plurality of still image data is input to the display 13. Or the still image is recorded on the printing paper P.

  The recording control unit 30 refers to the data stored in the image data storage unit 31 and controls the recording head 2 and the transport mechanism 3 respectively, thereby causing the image of the image data selected by the user to be printed on the printing paper P. It is configured to print.

  On the other hand, the image display device 14 includes a control unit 22 that controls the display 13. The control unit 22 can be configured by a microcomputer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, for example. In other words, a program for changing an image to be displayed on the display 13 is stored in the ROM of the microcomputer, and the function of the control unit 22 is realized by executing the program stored in the ROM by the CPU. The

  And the control part 22 discriminate | determines the aspect of the expansion-contraction deformation | transformation which arose in the base material 20 based on the signal (information regarding the expansion-contraction deformation of the base material 20) each input from the four expansion-contraction detection parts 21a-21d. The image displayed on the display 13 is changed according to the modified mode. Note that “changing the image to be displayed on the display 13” means changing a part or the whole of the image displayed on the entire screen of the display 13. Accordingly, not only switching an image of a certain image data currently displayed to an image of another image data but also performing an image process such as enlargement or reduction on the currently displayed image is included.

  Hereinafter, an image change process executed by the control unit 22 when the user performs a pulling operation or a compression operation of the base material 20 will be described.

  As described above, in the printer 1 of this embodiment, the four expansion / contraction detection units 21a to 21d provided on the base material 20 cause a plurality of expansion / contraction deformations that occur in the base material 20 when the base material 20 is expanded / contracted by the user. These aspects can be distinguished and detected. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, with respect to eight types of expansion / contraction deformation (items A to H) detected by the four expansion / contraction detection units 21 (first expansion / contraction detection unit 21a to fourth expansion / contraction detection unit 21d). The contents of eight types of image change processing relating to image enlargement / reduction, image switching, and the like are allocated in advance.

(1) Center expansion / contraction (items A and B)
When the center part of the base material 20 is pulled or compressed by the user in the left-right direction (longitudinal direction of the base material 20), the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20 is detected in all of the four expansion / contraction detection units 21a to 21d. The That is, when the central portion of the base material 20 is pulled, the potentials of the first electrodes 24 of all the four expansion / contraction detection units 21a to 21d become negative potentials (-), respectively. Moreover, when the center part of the base material 20 is compressed, the electric potential of the 1st electrode 24 of all the four expansion-contraction detection parts 21a-21d becomes a positive electric potential (+), respectively.

  And when the control part 22 recognizes that the center part of the base material 20 was pulled (extension deformation) based on the detection results of the four expansion / contraction detection parts 21a to 21d, it is currently displayed on the display 13. Enlarge the image (item A). Further, when it is recognized that the center portion of the base material 20 is compressed (contraction deformation) based on the detection results of the four expansion / contraction detection units 21a to 21d, the currently displayed image is reduced on the display 13. (Item B).

  Accordingly, when it is desired to enlarge the image, the base material 20 is pulled, and when the image is desired to be reduced, the base material 20 may be compressed. Also, these operations are reminiscent of the enlargement / reduction of the image. Even users who are not good at operating are easy to learn. When the user performs a pulling or compressing operation on the rectangular base material 20 in order to enlarge or reduce the image, the direction of the pulling or compressing is determined from the viewpoint of operability. The direction is preferably parallel to one side. Therefore, in this embodiment, since the enlargement / reduction of the image is assigned to the expansion / contraction deformation in the direction parallel to one side of the base material 20, the operability when the image is enlarged / reduced is improved. Further, the operation is easier when the substrate 20 is pulled or compressed in the long side direction than in the short side direction. In the present embodiment, since the enlargement / reduction process is assigned to the expansion / contraction deformation in the long side direction of the base material 20, the operability is further improved.

(2) Upper expansion and contraction (items C and D)
When the upper part of the base material 20 is pulled or compressed by the user in the left-right direction, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the upper two expansion / contraction detection units 21a and 21c detect the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20. Is done. That is, when the upper part of the base material 20 is pulled, the potentials of the first electrodes 24 of the two expansion / contraction detection units 21a and 21c become negative potentials (−), respectively. Further, when the upper portion of the base material 20 is compressed, the potentials of the first electrodes 24 of the two expansion / contraction detection units 21a and 21c become positive potentials (+), respectively. At this time, since there is almost no expansion / contraction deformation in the lower part of the base material 20, the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20 is not detected in the lower two expansion / contraction detection units 21 b and 21 d, and the potential of the first electrode 24 is not detected. Becomes GND.

  When the control unit 22 recognizes that the upper portion of the base material 20 has been pulled based on the detection results of the four expansion / contraction detection units 21, the orientation of the image currently displayed on the display 13 is changed (up and down Reverse (item C). On the other hand, when it is recognized that the upper part of the base material 20 is compressed based on the detection results of the four expansion / contraction detection units 21, the display image is switched to the previous image (item D). That is, the image data immediately before the image data currently displayed on the display 13 is selected from the plurality of image data stored in the order in the image data storage unit 31, and is displayed on the display 13. The image to be displayed is switched to the image of the selected image data.

(3) Lower extension (items E and F)
When the user pulls or compresses the lower part of the base material 20 in the left-right direction, as shown in FIG. 3A, the base material 20 is deformed in the lower two expansion / contraction detection units 21b and 21d. Detected. That is, when the lower part of the base material 20 is pulled, the potentials of the first electrodes 24 of the two expansion / contraction detection units 21b and 21d become negative potentials (−), respectively. When the lower part of the base material 20 is compressed, the potentials of the first electrodes 24 of the two expansion / contraction detection units 21b and 21d become positive potentials (+). At this time, since there is almost no expansion / contraction deformation on the upper portion of the base material 20, the upper two expansion / contraction detection units 21a and 21c do not detect the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20, and the potential of the first electrode 24 It becomes GND.

  When the control unit 22 recognizes that the lower portion of the base material 20 has been pulled based on the detection results of the four expansion / contraction detection units 21, the image currently displayed on the display 13 is rotated by 90 degrees ( Item E). When it is recognized that the lower part of the base material 20 is compressed based on the detection results of the four expansion / contraction detection units 21, the display image is switched to the next image (item F). That is, image data that is one after the image data currently displayed on the display 13 is selected from the plurality of image data stored in the image data storage unit 31 in an ordered state. The image to be displayed is switched to the image of the selected image data.

(4) Stretching diagonally upward to the right (items G and H)
When the user pulls or compresses the entire base material 20 in the diagonal direction to the right, the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20 is detected by the two expansion / contraction detection units 21b and 21c located on the diagonal line. That is, when the base material 20 is pulled in the diagonal direction, the potentials of the first electrodes 24 of the two expansion / contraction detection units 21b and 21c become negative potentials (-), respectively. Further, when the base material 20 is compressed in the diagonal direction, the potentials of the first electrodes 24 of the two expansion / contraction detection units 21b and 21c become positive potentials (+), respectively. At this time, the remaining two expansion / contraction detection units 21a and 21d do not detect expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20, and the potential of the first electrode 24 becomes GND.

  Then, when the control unit 22 recognizes that the base material 20 is pulled along the diagonal line that rises to the right based on the signals from the four expansion / contraction detection units 21, the display image is switched to the first image (item G). ). That is, the first image data is selected from the plurality of image data stored in the image data storage unit 31 in an ordered state, and the image to be displayed on the display 13 is switched to the image of the selected image data. Further, when the control unit 22 recognizes that the base material 20 has been compressed along the diagonal line rising to the right, the display image is switched to the last image (item H). That is, the last image data is selected from the plurality of image data stored in the image data storage unit 31 in an ordered state, and the image to be displayed on the display 13 is switched to the image of the selected image data.

  As described above, when the user operates the operation button 12 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) or the like in a state where a desired image is displayed on the display 13, a command for recording an image is given to the control device 4. When input, the recording control unit 30 acquires information related to the image currently displayed on the display 13 from the control unit 22 of the image display device 14, controls the recording head 2 and the transport mechanism 3, and displays the image. Record on printing paper P.

  According to the image display device 14 of the present embodiment described above, when the plate-like base material 20 is stretched or compressed by the user and the base material 20 is stretched or deformed, this stretch deformation is detected by four stretch detections. Detected by the units 21a to 21d. Then, the control part 22 changes the image displayed on the display 13 based on the detection result of four expansion-contraction detection parts 21a-1d. That is, it is possible to cause the display 13 to perform image enlargement / reduction, image switching, or the like only by a simple operation of pulling or compressing the plate-like substrate 20. Therefore, it is not necessary to operate the operation buttons 12 provided on the printer 1 in a complicated manner, and even a user who is not good at operating the device can easily change the image displayed on the display 13.

  Next, modified embodiments in which various modifications are made to the embodiment will be described. However, components having the same configuration as in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  1] The number of expansion / contraction detection units 21 that detect expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20 and the position on the base material are not limited to those of the above-described embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the expansion / contraction detection unit 21 is provided only in the vicinity of the four corners of the base material 20, but the expansion / contraction detection unit is also provided in the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the base material 20 and the central portion in the short direction. 21 may be arranged.

  2] In the above-described embodiment, the rectangular base material 20 is configured to be expanded and contracted in the longitudinal direction (lateral direction) after being held so that the longitudinal direction thereof is the left-right direction. The expansion / contraction operation may be performed in the short direction (vertical direction). Alternatively, the rectangular base material 20 may be operated in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction after the short side direction is held in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the substrate 20 is not limited to a rectangular shape, and may be formed in a polygonal shape other than a square shape or a rectangular shape.

  3] The expansion / contraction detection unit 21 that detects expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20 is not limited to a piezoelectric sensor using the mechanical-electrical conversion action of a piezoelectric element. For example, the expansion / contraction detection unit 21 is made of a conductive material disposed on the surface of the base material 20 and has an electric resistor whose electric resistance changes according to the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20 (so-called strain gauge). It may be. In this case, when the base material 20 is expanded and contracted, and the electric resistor provided on the surface of the base material 20 expands and contracts together with the base material 20, the electric resistance of the electric resistor changes. Therefore, it is possible to detect the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20 from the change in the electric resistance of the electric resistor.

  4] In the above-described embodiment, a plurality of expansion / contraction deformation modes having different deformation positions and deformation directions are distinguished and detected by the four expansion / contraction detection units 21, but the deformation strength (deformation amount) is different. You may make it detect and detect an expansion-contraction deformation. For example, when the expansion / contraction detection unit 21 is configured by a piezoelectric sensor, the potential difference (first output) output from the expansion / contraction detection unit 21 as the base material 20 is strongly expanded and contracted by the user and the deformation amount of the base material 20 increases. The potential of the electrode) increases. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish and recognize deformations having different strengths depending on whether or not the signal output from the expansion / contraction detection unit 21 is a potential difference equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

  5] The content of the image change process assigned to the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material detected by the expansion / contraction detection unit is not limited to that shown in FIG. 5 of the above embodiment. Some examples of processing contents that can be assigned are shown below.

(1) For example, in the above-described embodiment, the four expansion / contraction detection units 21 can separately detect the expansion / contraction deformation in the left-right direction in the three regions of the center part, the upper part, and the lower part of the base material 20. It is. Therefore, when the expansion / contraction deformation in one of the three regions is detected by the four expansion / contraction detection units 21, the control unit 22 detects the expansion / contraction deformation of the image displayed on the display 13. You may make it enlarge or reduce centering around the part corresponding to an area | region.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 6, when the expansion / contraction deformation of the central portion of the base material 20 is detected by the four expansion / contraction detection units 21, the image displayed on the display 13 is enlarged / reduced around the central portion. (Items A and B). When the expansion / contraction deformation of the upper portion of the base material 20 is detected by the four expansion / contraction detection units 21, the image displayed on the display 13 is enlarged / reduced around the upper portion (items C and D). Furthermore, when the expansion / contraction deformation of the lower part of the base material 20 is detected by the four expansion / contraction detection units 21, the image displayed on the display 13 is enlarged / reduced around the lower part (items E and F).

(2) The control unit 22 that controls the display 13 normally displays one image on the display 13, but can also display a list of multiple reduced images (thumbnail images) on the display 13 (thumbnail display). It is. Therefore, when the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20 is detected by the expansion / contraction detection unit 21, the control unit 22 may change the number of images displayed in a list on the display 13. For example, when it is detected that the base material 20 is pulled, the number of images displayed on the display 13 is reduced. When it is detected that the images are compressed, the number of images displayed on the display 13 is displayed. You may make it increase.

(3) It is possible to assign various image changing processes, such as changing the shade, color, or contrast of the currently displayed image, to the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20.

(4) Not only the process related to the image change in the display 13 but also other processes may be assigned to the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20. For example, when expansion / contraction deformation is detected in a certain region of the base material 20, the control unit 22 is configured to transmit a signal for recording the currently displayed image on the printing paper P to the control device 4. Also good.

  6] The base material 20 is different from a predetermined normal use posture (for example, the posture in FIG. 3 in which the first expansion / contraction detection unit 21a and the third expansion / contraction detection unit 21c are located in the upper part in the embodiment). When operated by the user in the posture, the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material 20 is not detected by the expansion / contraction detection unit 21 or is erroneously recognized as an expansion / contraction deformation in a mode different from the originally performed expansion / contraction deformation. The image change intended by the user may not be performed. Therefore, the image display device preferably includes a configuration for allowing the user to recognize the normal use posture or a configuration for recognizing the current posture of the base material 20. Some examples of the configuration will be described below.

(1) The base material 20 may be provided with a posture identifying unit that allows the user to recognize a normal use posture. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, an identification unit 70 made of characters, marks, or the like may be provided on a part of the base material 20. In this case, the user confirms whether or not the base material 20 is in a normal use posture by checking whether the identification unit 70 made of characters, marks, or the like is tilted or reversed. Can be seen at a glance. Alternatively, an arrow mark or a message for informing which posture of the base material 20 is a normal use posture may be attached to the base material 20.

  As described above, when the base material 20 is provided with a posture identifying unit for recognizing the use posture, when the user operates the base material 20 in any posture, the user can expand and contract the display. It is possible to immediately recognize whether the 13 image changes can be correctly performed, and to cause the display 13 to perform the image change as intended.

(2) The image display device may include a configuration (posture detection unit) for detecting the posture of the base material 20. For example, the image display device may include an attitude detection sensor such as a magnetic sensor that detects the attitude of the base material 20 operated at a location away from the printer body 6. In this case, since the control unit 22 of the image display device can determine whether or not the base material 20 is in a normal use posture from the detection result of the above-described posture detection sensor, the base material 20 is normal. If the user is not in the use posture, an error message can be displayed on the display 13 to notify the user of that fact.

  Alternatively, the configuration may be such that the base member 20 is expanded and contracted on a trial basis by the user, and the posture of the base member 20 is detected from the trial result. In this case, first, before the image display apparatus is actually operated (for example, immediately after the image display apparatus is taken out by a user from a holder (not shown) for setting the image display apparatus when not in use). In addition, the control unit 22 causes the display 13 to display a message requesting the user to pull a part of the base material 20 to the left and right on a trial basis. The necessity of this trial expansion / contraction operation does not necessarily need to be notified immediately before the user operates the base material 20, but is described in the instruction manual of the printer 1 or a cautionary note attached to the printer body 6 or the base material 20. For example, the user may be notified in advance.

  And when the base material 20 is expanded and contracted by the user on a trial basis, the control unit 22 detects the posture of the base material 20 based on the expansion and contraction of the base material 20 detected by the expansion and contraction detection unit 21. For example, when the user is instructed to try pulling the lower portion of the base material 20 in the posture immediately after being taken out from the holder, the control unit 22 is based on the detection result by the expansion / contraction detection unit 21. However, when it is recognized that the lower part of the base material 20 has been pulled as instructed, the control unit 22 determines that the current posture of the base material 20 is a normal use posture. On the other hand, if the user should have been instructed to pull the lower portion of the base material 20 on a trial basis, but the detection result by the expansion / contraction detection unit 21 recognizes that the upper portion of the base material 20 has been pulled, control is performed. The unit 22 determines that the current posture is the posture opposite to the normal use posture. In this modification, the control unit 22 itself corresponds to a posture detection unit that detects the posture of the base material 20 based on the detection result by the expansion / contraction detection unit 21.

  As described above, when the control unit 22 can recognize the posture of the base material 20 from the detection result of the expansion / contraction detection unit 21 when the user performs a trial expansion and contraction of the base material 20, A special sensor for detecting the posture of the material 20 becomes unnecessary.

  7] The display 13 for displaying an image is not necessarily provided integrally with the base material 20. That is, as in the printer 1A shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the input device 14A having the plate-like base material 20 is connected to the control device 4A in the printer body 6, and a plurality of displays 13A for displaying images are provided. The operation button 12 may be provided on the printer main body 6.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in this modification, a display control unit 22A (display control means) for controlling the display 13A is provided in the control device 4A of the printer 1A. And this display control part 22A changes the image displayed on display 13A based on the information regarding the expansion-contraction deformation of the base material 20 input from four expansion-contraction detection parts 21a-21d of 14 A of input devices. Since the function of the display control unit 22A is the same as that of the control unit 22 (see FIG. 2) of the above-described embodiment, further description is omitted. In this modification, the printer 1A including the display 13A and the input device 14A corresponds to the image display device of the present invention.

  In this way, when the display 13A is provided separately from the base material 20 of the input device 14A, the configuration of the input device 14A is simplified. Moreover, since the base material 20 is easily expanded and contracted as compared with the case where the display 13A is provided integrally with the base material 20 as in the above-described embodiment, the expansion and contraction detection unit 21 can easily detect expansion and contraction. Become.

  8] The image display device 14 of the above embodiment is used by being connected to the printer 1 having the recording head 2. However, the image display device provided with the display may be a device that can be used alone without being connected to another device such as a printer.

1 is a perspective view of a printer according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a printer control system. It is a figure which shows an image display apparatus, (a) is a top view, (b) is the sectional view on the AA line of (a). (A) is the figure which looked at the expansion-contraction detection part from the back surface side of the base material, (b) is the BB sectional drawing of (a). It is a figure which shows allocation of the image change process with respect to the expansion-contraction deformation | transformation aspect of the base material detected by an expansion-contraction detection part. It is a figure which shows the allocation of the image change process with respect to the expansion-contraction deformation aspect of a base material in a change form. It is a top view of the base material of another modification. It is a perspective view of the printer which concerns on another modification. FIG. 9 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of the printer of FIG. 8.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1A Printer 13, 13A Display 14 Image display apparatus 14A Input device 20 Base material 20b Thin part 21 Expansion / contraction detection part 22, 22A Control part 23 Piezoelectric layer 24 1st electrode 25 2nd electrode 70 Identification part

Claims (9)

A plate-like substrate;
A display unit provided on the substrate and displaying an image;
Expansion / contraction detection means disposed on the surface of the base material to detect expansion / contraction deformation of the base material,
Display control means for changing an image to be displayed on the display unit based on the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material detected by the expansion / contraction detection means ,
The base material is a plate member having a rectangular planar shape,
When the expansion / contraction detection means detects an extension deformation in the long side direction of the base material, the display control means enlarges the currently displayed image on the display unit, and the expansion / contraction detection means causes the base material to be enlarged. When the contraction deformation related to the long side direction is detected, the display control means reduces the currently displayed image on the display unit,
Having a posture detection unit for detecting the posture of the substrate;
The posture detection unit determines the posture of the base material based on the detection result by the expansion / contraction detection means when the base material undergoes elastic deformation by trial expansion / contraction at the start of use. An image display device characterized by detecting . The expansion / contraction detection means is configured to distinguish and detect expansion / contraction deformation in a plurality of regions of the base material,
When expansion / contraction deformation in the predetermined area of the base material is detected by the expansion / contraction detection means, the display control means enlarges the image displayed on the display unit around a portion corresponding to the predetermined area. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein the image display device is reduced. When the expansion and contraction deformation of the substrate is detected by the telescopic detection means, said display control means, on the display unit, according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that for changing the orientation of the image currently displayed The image display device described in 1. When the expansion / contraction detection unit detects expansion / contraction deformation of the base material, the display control unit switches an image to be displayed on the display unit from a currently displayed image to another image. The image display apparatus in any one of Claims 1-3 . The expansion / contraction detecting means is a piezoelectric sensor having a piezoelectric layer provided on the surface of the base material and two types of electrodes arranged at an interval on one surface of the piezoelectric layer. The image display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . The expansion / contraction detection means is a strain gauge made of a conductive material arranged on the surface of the base material, and having an electric resistor whose electric resistance changes according to the expansion / contraction deformation of the base material. Item 5. The image display device according to any one of Items 1 to 4 . Of the substrate, the thickness of the portion where stretching detecting means is provided is an image display apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it is locally smaller than its surroundings. The display unit is disposed in a partial region of the surface of the base material,
The extendable detection means, the image display apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the surface of the substrate, wherein the display unit is disposed in a region not provided. A display for displaying an image;
Display control means for controlling the display unit;
A plate-like base material, and expansion / contraction detection means arranged on the surface of the base material to detect expansion / contraction deformation of the base material, and information related to the expansion / contraction deformation detected by the expansion / contraction detection means is sent to the display control means Input means for inputting,
The display control means controls the display unit so as to change an image to be displayed based on information on the expansion / contraction deformation input by the input means ,
The base material is a plate member having a rectangular planar shape,
When the expansion / contraction detection means detects an extension deformation in the long side direction of the base material, the display control means enlarges the currently displayed image on the display unit, and the expansion / contraction detection means causes the base material to be enlarged. When the contraction deformation related to the long side direction is detected, the display control means reduces the currently displayed image on the display unit,
Having a posture detection unit for detecting the posture of the substrate;
The posture detection unit determines the posture of the base material based on the detection result by the expansion / contraction detection means when the base material undergoes elastic deformation by trial expansion / contraction at the start of use. An image display device characterized by detecting .

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